Linksfahrer

That's what it look like to me.


I'm just applying for a care place for my mother here and if I can't get German language speaking care ( By which I mean sentences not just Ja's and Nein's ) So the Ali-B Graph is the reality. One local care firm said to me this morning I should be counting myself lucky, most of her care staff speak better English than German the ones I have spoken with till now however were as limited in both languages.


We have to face facts that many "Germans" prefer to do a job at a desk and wish to pay less for care of the elderly , which I guess if we are honest is what most of us want.

This attitude brings problems while we have open job borders.

After 26 years here I would say I am fully integrated and took myself through language school here but for many staff working in Germany,

In my job as Logistics manager, I am sorry but I don't fully understand them. Since our Polish warehouse man passed away I have to deal with this communication issue daily.

I have become so fed up, that I order from my transport agents "German speaking drivers only ". If they cannot understand from me where to park , which side to open unload from I just choose a new carrier. I simply don't want drivers who are 3 weeks away from home and arrive here looking like they will fall asleep if a cloud passes over the sun.

Driving through Europe with overloaded uncontrolled sprinter vans without sleep is not safe

I do like what the EU has been able to give me but in my view the job tourism is killing many more minor EU communities.

Even in East Germany, many smaller towns are sucked dry of the young people, not just the skilled ones.

So I fully agree with ALi-B on the Health/ Doctor migration graph
and also understand the frustration from Andy97 .

While "West Germany / Belgium / Dutch areas" boom the rest of the more outlying nations really only profit slightly from money sent home. The real cost is social-economically un-payable.

I actually think we shall see even more of an EU split when the EZB interest rate / bond policy continues to conflict with leading Asia / US interest rates. Whether or not the EU is essential for a competitive place in world markets remains to be seen.

Personally I doubt that in the long term that any "real" quality of life can be maintained in whole EU. The whole situation reminds me slightly of the Justin Timberlake film "In Time"

Indeed it seems to me the EU serves currently to support life styles that many in the UK and Germany Benelux now enjoy , what will happen then in the aftermath ? Macon for EU President ? No surely not. We are best off out of it but its at a cost.

dpb

Never going to happen !

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a8329761.html

dpb

Are those folk from the Institute fiscal studies just plain daft ??


https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.i...411.html%3famp

neil-h

Of course. You know how Brexiters feel about experts.

trails

iTrader: (41)

Unless they support their case of course

dpb

Ah ok just nasty self interest


Just checking

Mr Fuji

Interesting on the news this morning, Mr Johnson in the USA trying to persuade Trump to stay in the Iran deal, because "a bad deal is better than no deal". Funny how he doesn't think the same about Brexit, it's almost as if.........

BMWhere?

Today you see how many f***s Trump gave about the opinion of Johnson, May, Merkel and Macron!


And the Brexiteers somehow believe we're going to get a great trade deal from the US! There is only one country will be benefiting from a UK-US trade deal while Trump is in power and it sure as hell won't be the UK!

hodgy0_2

just as an addendum to the above

below is arch brexiteer Hannan rubbishing the NHS on American TV

dpb

What a disgusting country we are inheriting

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.b...mp/uk-44093868

neil-h

Well it’s what the people wanted

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Regardless of what his stance on the EU is...the context of that interview can be surmised as "do not make the same mistakes that we have".

From where I'm sat, the NHS does not work properly. It's is failing on countless levels and the view that just throwing more money at it will fix it goes nowhere near to addressing many of the issues.

I will be going a funeral next week of someone diagnosed by a NHS GP as having 'anxiety'. No, it was cancer, by the time that was realised it was far far too late for her. She has a 15yr daughter.

And before you say that's a one-off....I can run off pages worth of failings that have directly resulted in deaths of my family and friends.

If someone is very ill (but not ill enough to go to A&E, who will turn you away). there needs to be another, alternative route of getting care...paid for by the patient if need be (walk in centres don't work either). The current 'if you think something is wrong, see your GP' mantra is not working. More GP's is not the answer as I don't think half of them are even competent.

Being in or out the EU won't change this.

Also, do you think that something is wrong when when you can buy statins in Spain over the counter for less than €2 for a full branded packet, when in the UK it needs a GP visit for a prescription which costs £8.80 and then they only give you half the packet (so £17.60 for the full packet) of a random brand? Sure I guess it subsidies other treatments, but what's the point if my cancer gets diagnosed as 'Anxiety'?

Much like like the breast screaning letter fiasco... Why should people wait for an automated letter calling them in. Why not just let them book-in when they think they need to? Charge them £8.80 if need be. The piece of mind is worth it, assuming its done right, which looking at Ireland with smear testing they've totally f**ked up on (and am led to believe this may extend to the UK too).

dpb

Would seriously hope Cancer miss diagnosed as Anxiety isnt that common

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Missed the point:


GPs palming off patients that have illness requiring further investigation or specialist referral without even bothering to do the basics is a lot more common than you'd want it be. As I said I can write pages about how my family and friends have been failed in this manner.

You'll change your tune when it happens to you. That is providing you survive to tell the tale.

john banks

From the other side, when I was a GP, back in the days when I was fully staffed, up to date, smashing every quality measurement and satisfaction survey, I still "missed" an important diagnosis every few years. I tried to learn from them all, and in some cases could improve my practice, share with others to help them improve theirs and apologise.

Even in these best of conditions, presented with the evidence at the time, rather than an ability to reinterpret data in the light of later data, some cancers are very difficult to diagnose. It does not excuse the situations where it seems a reasonable body of medical opinion would act otherwise. However, there are many more situations where the public think this is the case than are actually the case after independent medical review or judicial decision. The public massively over-value the accuracy of investigations, specialist opinions and tests, and massively under-estimate their harms. In the real world, it is not uncommon to re-refer a patient when things become clearer and have developed too far after an initial "all clear". If I recall, the threshold for EXPECTED cancer diagnosis from a 2 week wait suspected cancer referral is 2%. You can be criticised if your actual rate is outwith this. That figure, along with increasing patient anxiety worsens the signal to noise ratio considerably, a dangerous situation for patient and doctor with no easy solution.

Increasingly, decision fatigue, reducing resources/staffing and patient demand exacerbated conditions to make it dangerous and I have almost completed my career switch to writing engine control unit software full time. A huge number of my colleagues have left where they could, many of the rest are burnt out.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Granted John, I never intended to imply that a Cancer diagnosis was a clear cut or easy thing to pick on due to the very nature of its broad spectrum. As you point out pressures from various areas is impacting on the effectiveness of what is the first point of contact when a condition manifests itself. The old 'family doctor' concept no longer exists, with the anxiety case I highlighted, symptoms were present, she knew something was not right the best part of a year ago, she told me. I told her to be more insistent that it was a medical issue not mental. To cut this post short, there was routine testing that should have been done - even for a patient in seeming good health, for whatever reason that was not done. I'm not going lay blame at the foot of a individual, its systemic, because for over 12months until the last stages it remained undiagnosed until three weeks ago. Which from your own experiences will know will be at the stage where the only care is palliative.

Back on topic; I don't really care about the bulls*t on the side of a leave EU bus or the persistent moaning of doom from the remainer camp, both using the NHS as a means of point scoring. Because right here, right now the NHS is failing and the remain/leave's crystal ball of how bad it will be is moot, because it's getting worse and will continue to worsen regardless of our future EU status.

dpb

Are the unions really busting the economy like days Maggie T..?!?



Like Dyson, this one can only get richer thanks to brexit


https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.i...856.html%3famp

SouthWalesSam

iTrader: (1)

Maybe not. It's not perfect but it mostly works well for most of the millions who use it every year.

And the Americans that I know who have actually lived over here and experienced the NHS are evangelical about it.

And, given that we spend around 20% less as a percentage of our GDP on the NHS than France and Germany and about 50% less than the US spend on healthcare I would really like to test your theory and start throwing some decent money at it. No, it won't fix everything but it would improve it a lot.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

As far as the NHS is concerned, we need to cut down on two things before throwing ANY more money at it.

1. Waste: protected sources for where they buy stuff, fully trained nurses sitting beside consultants doing what amounts to clerical work at day clinics, too many middle managers with too many luxurious offices, etc etc

2. Allowing all and sundry to use it without charging, whether or not they live here.

dpb

Yep blumin expats

Figures going to rocket now of cause , due to you know what

BMWhere?

You forgot the most important one....




3. Ill people! If there were less ill people, the NHS would save a fortune!

dpb

and blumin old people , with self inflicted problems .....

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Speaking of sel-inflicted probs, what about all the silly women who have had b reast implants done and then gone to the NHS for removal? And the ones who need treatment due to walking around all their lives on stupid high heels?

Personally, I'd be requiring payment for any self-inflicted things: smoking, overweight, drinking related, drugs related, yes even sports injuries that are non-professional, or make folk carry insurance for it. My mate who was an engineer on the local works, (WITH a proper degree), had to have insurance in case he was injured playing local football.

SouthWalesSam

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, and them people what play sport and get injured, an' those dimwits who eat sugar and get diabetes and people who get involved in motor collisions when they should've stayed home, and them babies what get born and have to have vaccinations and...
We could save the NHS a ton of money.

dpb

Being alive , just causes loads problems

problem being no one wants pay any extra for it , as they see it, in taxes - even though we're all living longer

- cos the management ( ruling classes ) all sitting in nice offices- with their feet up presumably

mrtheedge2u2

If I was in power I would just say "listen folks....we are raising taxes by 5%. Everything we raise with this will go towards improving failing items e.g. health, education etc"..... people will whine a lot but if living in Holland has taught me one thing it is this.....British people don't pay high tax and they whine and whine about the tax they do pay.

I pay 52% tax here (as do a lot of people) and not one expat, or Dutch person, has ever moaned about it. We pay high taxes but we enjoy a high standard of living. It is a fair trade. If you want to pay low tax then accept sh1tty infrastructure and services

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Out of interest, how much does Holland spend yearly on Foreign Aid?
How is your 52% calculated?

The UK's problem is not raising money, it's how it's spent. They waste £billions a year, they spend ages denying that there is any money for anything Joe Public wants, but can find money for foreign wars, foreign aid, Northern Ireland as a sweetener and now replacing all flammable cladding on all tower blocks, at the drop of a hat.

Is there, then, any wonder that the UK public, seeing this and seeing them CONSTANTLY say "we can't afford it", says, "ENOUGH!!!"

mrtheedge2u2

The Netherlands give 1% of GDP in foreign aid.

Tax is split as below:
36,55% on the first € 19.922.

40,40% on € 19.922 - 66.422

52% tax on the excess income of € 66.422.

mrtheedge2u2

The foreign wars thing I completely agree on. Foreign aid I an not fussed about as I just remind myself of what it is....paying certain countries to remain in the UK's sphere of influence. They simply sugar coat the pill under the term "aid" with the hope that it is easier for the public to swallow.

Are you really complaining about the them finding money to replace the cladding? You will probably find they will borrow the money

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

It's not the cladding, it's the implacable way they refuse what is needed, saying there is no money, but can ALWAYS find £milions when THEY want to: Royal wedding, Quen's jubilee, replacing cladding, paying off the Northern Irish?

How DID you come up with 52% taxation in Holland? And how much do they spend on foreign aid?